Are You Ready to Go Guerrilla?

Think you have to spend top dollars to grow your business? Think again.

With Guerrilla Marketing, you can go for low-cost, unconventional marketing campaigns that can give you maximum results.

According Jay Conrad Levinson, the man who coined the term Guerrilla Marketing in his 1984 book "Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business",

Guerrilla Marketing is a low-budget and unconventional marketing strategy that adds an element of surprise to the consumer to create a memorable brand experience.

The objective of a guerrilla marketing campaign is to create an unique and engaging concept to generate buzz. According to Drew Neisser, the CEO & founder of Renegade Marketing Agency, 

Guerrilla Marketing is a state of mind. It simply isn't guerrilla if it isn't newsworthy.

Thus, your goal is to develop a shockingly unique and clever marketing concept that is buzz worthy.

Guerrilla Marketing's bold and think-outside-the-box idea will get your products/services noticed and set you apart from the competition.

Here is the perfect example of a successful guerrilla marketing campaign:

Pandas in Paris

Who can forget 1,600 papier mache pandas put on display in the center of Paris by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) back in 2008? Each panda installation represented each of the remaining 1,600 pandas left in the wild.

The uniqueness and thought-provoking nature of this campaign grabbed the attention of everyone including leading media outlets. The WWF successfully managed to increase public awareness about the endangered species.

Not all guerrilla campaigns are success stories. Here is the perfect example of a guerrilla stunt gone horribly wrong:

Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force Bomb Scare

Back in 2007, Cartoon Network placed several LED placards representing characters from the new film Aqua Teen Hunger Force around Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding cities. When the placards were lit up during the night, local residents mistook them for explosives, leading many to believe the city was under terrorist attack. Boston Police and SWAT teams had to be called in to calm down the public hysteria.

It ended up costing the company $2 million for the incident ($1 million for the Boston Police Department and $1 million for the Department of Homeland Security).

It turned out not all publicity is good publicity!

However, used correctly, guerrilla marketing could be a low cost and highly effective way to reach a wide audience. This is particularly beneficial for small businesses, looking for a cost-effective way to grow their businesses. Need proof?

Look no further than the phenomenon that is The Blair Witch Project. 

This was a film project made by five film graduates on a minimal budget and a camera. However, using the novelty idea, they created a website and an internet campaign to spread rumors about the fictitious legend "The Blair Witch". Then, using the tagline "On October 21, 1994, three filmmakers hiked into Maryland's Black Hills Forest to shoot a documentary film on a local legend, The Blair Witch. One year later, their footage was found.", they sparked major public interest in the film and the rest is history.

The Blair Witch Project was made and promoted on a budget of $50,000 and grossed $248 million worldwide.

Here are a few tips to pull off a guerrilla marketing campaign:

1. Be Creative & Take Risk: Be original with your idea and come up with an unique and creative way to present your product/service to your target audience. And do not be afraid to take risks. Your willingness to take a risk and believe in your original idea could pay dividends.
2. Know Your Audience: Do extensive homework on your target customers, their interests, their likes and dislikes. Your idea must be received well by your target audience in order to form positive connections with them.
3. Leverage Your Media Outlets: Make a smart use of available media outlets to create a big impact. Social media or a viral video campaign is a good place to start for a small start-up on a tight budget.

And remember this quote from Jay Conrad Levinson,

“When you view marketing from the vantage point of the guerrilla, you realize that it’s your opportunity to help your prospects and customers succeed. You can help them. You can show them how to achieve their goal. Marketing is not about you. It’s about them. I hope you never forget that.”

May Mandy Han